Improving the Insurance Claims Management Process

Redlands, CaliforniaIn many cases, the claims management process is an insurer's largest business expense. Mark McCoy, Esri's global insurance industry manager, proposes a solution that will help improve costs with a workflow based on GIS, and he asks others to weigh in at the Spatial Roundtable.

A recent study by Deloitte shows that a single percentage point's improvement in claims costs can return significant savings for insurers. Traditionally, insurers respond to customers who have experienced losses only when the calls come in. Adjusters are then assigned to a schedule based on the order of the calls. There is no preplanning to ensure that this is the most efficient way to provide insurance coverage. In a Spatial Roundtable post, McCoy explains how the existing process can be made more efficient with GIS.

"Information that is available through GIS can be accessed to identify customers in an impact area, plan triage support, and calculate maximum potential loss in real time," says McCoy. "This information can also be shared remotely, giving adjusters access to data, such as pictures and claims forms, that improves effectiveness in the field."

Do you agree? Join the discussion at spatialroundtable.com and comment on whether you believe GIS-based intelligent maps can improve the insurance claims management workflow.